The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I finally finished the last book in this trilogy! I started reading it in October and never really got into it. But I can't leave books unfinished! And I generally have to read every book in a series once I start, so this one has been hanging over my head. I finally picked it back up last weekend and knocked it out. I'm glad I did because it was a satisfying ending to the series. It had thrills and mystery, but I liked the way it ended. My only complaint with the series is all of the names and the many many many confusing characters. It is hard to keep track!

Now the question is whether to watch the movies? And if I do, should I watch the Swedish ones or wait for the American versions?

Read: October 2010 and February 2011

The Girl who Played with Fire (Steig Larsson)

This is the second book in the trilogy and I enjoyed it even more than the first. This time Lisbeth Salander is accused of murdering two journalists. Only Blomkvist believes in her innocence and sets about trying to help her. We learn a lot about her past and her twisted family. Definitely another page turner. And if you're like me, you have to finish a series once you start.

Read: June 2010

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Steig Larsson)

When we picked this book for book club, none of us knew anything about it except that it was on the best seller list and was getting a lot of buzz. It was not at all what I expected. Set in Sweden, the novel centers on Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist who is hired to solve a mysterious disappearance, and Lisbeth Salander, an misunderstood computer hacker. Although the beginning was slow and it took a while to get used to some of the Swedish names, the book quickly becomes a page turner as the two uncover the truth.

Just a warning: there are some pretty creepy things that happen, but I think the book was overall worth reading.

This is also the first book I read on the Kindle! I borrowed my mom's (and have yet to give it back).

Read: May 2010

The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)

Hmm. I liked it and I didn't. Did you read the other Dan Brown books? Well, this one is veeeeeeeeery similar feeling to Angels and Demons, except in DC instead of Rome. Robert Langdon gets summoned to DC. A mysterious guy sends him on a crazy quest deciphering a masonic symbol. A beautiful woman is in danger. Someone is held captive. Time is of the essence. Etc. Etc.

While the book felt a tad formulaic to me, Dan Brown's writing style and short, cliff-hanger chapters still draw you in and make you want to keep reading. I stayed up really late a few nights because I needed to know what happened. It was also cool reading about some of the history of DC. Its a good book overall, but I do wish it wasn't so similar to the other books.

Read: Feb. 1 - 14

Length: 500 pages (hardback)